Pharma firm offers 35 new generic drugs

Filipinos now have a wider range of cheaper but quality medicines to choose from now as pharmaceutical company Sandoz Philippines Inc. has come up with 35 more generic drugs.

The medicines were made available as a result of Sandoz’s acquisition in 2005 of Hexal, one of the leading generics company in Germany, and Eon Labs, a fast-growing drug firm in the United States.

A company under Novartis, Sandoz carries generic medicines.

Avinash Potnis, Sandoz country coordinator, said the company is committed to help alleviate the suffering of Filipino patients "because human life is precious, cutting on medical cost should not mean cutting on quality treatment."

"This is where Sandoz comes in: by offering our Filipino patients the best of both worlds – medicines that are global in quality but local in terms of price. In other words, world-class medicines that fit the Filipinos’ budget," he said.

In 2005, Sandoz posted generic pharmaceutical sales of $4.7 billion. Based in Holzkirchen, Germany, the firm now employs more than 20,000 people in 110 countries.

According to Dr. Francis Victor Domingo, medical director of the Novartis Healthcare Philippines Inc., while Sandoz products are considerably less costly, their quality is of global standards.

Domingo added that Sandoz products have gone through international regulatory agencies like the US Food and Drug Administration and local agencies like the Bureau of Food and Drugs of the Department of Health.

Sandoz products are cheaper by 40 to 60 percent compared to original brands. They cover antibiotics and medicines for hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes, and tuberculosis, among others.

Domingo said Sandoz "fully respects international patent rules and regulations" so the company sells only off-patent medicines.

Potnis said the rising cost of healthcare and medicines has forced many Filipinos to just ignore their illnesses, cut short their medication or perform self-medication.

"What Sandoz offers to Filipinos are not just globally accepted medicines at much lower prices, but medicines that have been tested and passed the standards of international regulatory agencies. What we are bringing here are the same medicines available to patients in Europe and the US," he said.